UFC 84

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Clementi replaces Emerson at UFC 84

by Dann Stupp on Apr 22, 2008 at 5:36 pm ET

Just three days after defeating Sam Stout at this past Saturday's UFC 83 event in Montreal, veteran fighter and rising lightweight contender Rich Clementi (31-12-1 MMA, 4-3 UFC) has agreed to fill in for an injured Rob Emerson to fight Terry Etim (10-1 MMA, 1-1 UFC) at UFC 84.

The UFC today announced the change for the May 24 card, which takes place at the MGM Grand Garden Arena in Las Vegas.

The organization did not disclose the injury that forced Emerson to pull out of the preliminary-card fight.

As MMAjunkie.com (www.mmajunkie.com) previously reported, Emerson actually replaced Jeremy Stephens, who was Etim's original opponent. However, Stephens had to deal with a minor legal situation and has instead been scheduled to fight Spencer Fisher in June at The Ultimate Fighter 7 Finale.

Clementi, whose career found new life after a stint on the "comeback" season of "The Ultimate Fighter," will go for his sixth straight win, including his fourth straight in the UFC. The 31-year-old, who defeated Stout via split decision at UFC 83, began his UFC career with three losses in four fights.

Etim will return to the octagon for the first time since a unanimous-decision loss to Gleison Tibau at this past September's UFC 75 event in London. Prior to the loss -- the first of Etim's career -- the 22-year-old Brit made his UFC debut with a stunning comeback over Matt Grice at UFC 70. After getting beaten around for much of the first round, Etim reversed his position and locked in a fight-ending guillotine choke. He earned a $30,000 "Submission of the Night" bonus for the performance.

UFC 84 main card announced

by MMAjunkie.com Staff on Apr 07, 2008 at 4:27 pm

The UFC today confirmed a handful of fights for "UFC 84: Ill Will" and finalized the televised main card, which airs May 24 on pay-per-view.

The 11-fight event, which takes place at the MGM Grand Garden Arena in Las Vegas, features a main event between UFC lightweight champion B.J. Penn and former champ Sean Sherk. In a couple key light heavyweight bouts, Wanderlei Silva takes on Keith Jardine, and Tito Ortiz meets Lyoto Machida.

Also on the main card is Wilson Gouveia, who goes for his fifth straight UFC victory, and Thiago Silva, who goes for his fourth straight.

The televised card will feature at least five fights.

The full card includes:

MAIN CARD (TELEVISED)

• Champ B.J. Penn vs. Sean Sherk (for lightweight title)
• Keith Jardine vs. Wanderlei Silva
• Wilson Gouveia vs. Goran Reljic
• Lyoto Machida vs. Tito Ortiz
• Thiago Silva vs. Antonio Mendes

PRELIMINARY CARD (NOT TELEVISED)

• Rousimar Palhares vs. Ivan Salaverry
• Kazuhiro Nakamura vs. Rameau Thierry Sokoudjou
• Rob Emerson vs. Terry Etim
• John Koppenhaver vs. Yoshiyuki Yoshida
• Dong-Hyun Kim vs. Jason Tan
• Shane Carwin vs. Christian Wellisch

Emerson (not Stephens) vs. Etim booked for UFC 84

by Dann Stupp on Apr 07, 2008 at 9:54 am

British fighter Terry Etim (10-1 MMA, 1-1 UFC) will meet lightweight Rob Emerson (7-6 MMA, 1-0 UFC) -- not Jeremy Stephens -- at a UFC 84 event that takes place May 24 at the MGM Grand Garden Arena in Las Vegas.

The bout was today added to UFC.com's Events page.

As MMAjunkie.com first reported, Etim was originally slated to face up-and-comer Stephens. However, we've since been told that Stephens was pulled from the bout to deal with a "minor legal situation," according to a source close to the fighter.

Stephens remains with the UFC and is expected to be added to a fight card this summer.

Etim will return to the octagon for the first time since a unanimous-decision loss to Gleison Tibau at this past September's UFC 75 event in London.

Prior to the loss -- the first of Etim's career -- the 22-year-old Brit made his UFC debut with a stunning comeback over Matt Grice at UFC 70. After getting beaten around for much of the first round, Etim reversed his position and locked in a fight-ending guillotine choke. He earned a $30,000 "Submission of the Night" bonus for the performance.

After dealing with legal problems of his own, Emerson appeared on "The Ultimate Fighter 5," and he met Gray Maynard at the show's live finale. The fight was ruled a co-contest when Emerson was slammed to the mat and injured -- while Maynard appeared temporarily to knock himself unconscious.

Emerson returned at UFC 81 in February and scored a split-decision victory over Keita Nakamura.

The Etim-Emerson fight will air on the un-televised preliminary card of "UFC 84: Ill Will," which is set for pay-per-view. UFC lightweight champion B.J. Penn meets Sean Sherk in the night's main event.

Koppenhaver vs. Yoshida Added to UFC 84

by Dann Stupp on Mar 18, 2008 at 11:08 am

"The Ultimate Fighter 6" cast member John Koppenhaver (5-1 MMA, 1-0 UFC) will face UFC newcomer and Shooto vet Yoshiyuki Yoshida (9-2 MMA, 0-0 UFC) at UFC 84, the organization today announced.

Koppenhaver will return to the octagon for the first time since his stunning third-round TKO of Jared Rollins at The Ultimate Fighter 6 Finale in December. MMAjunkie.com (www.mmajunkie.com) first reported that he'd compete at UFC 84 earlier this month.

UFC 84 takes place May 24 at the MGM Grand Garden in Las Vegas, Nev. UFC lightweight champ B.J. Penn meets former champ Sean Sherk in the night's main event.

Koppenhaver joined "The Ultimate Fighter 6" as a replacement for an injured Roman Mitichyan. In a bloody bout that appeared to have eventual show runner-up Tommy Speer on the verge of tapping, Koppenhaver suffered a unanimous-decision loss in the show's opening round and was knocked out of the competition.

Just prior to the bout, Koppenhaver said it might be his last fight ever in MMA. However, in an interview with MMAjunkie.com just after the episode aired, the fighter said it was just his usual pre-fighter jitters.

He had a triumphant return at the show's live finale and earned Fight of the Night and Knockout of the Night bonuses with his victory.

Koppenhaver was recently sentenced to three years probation, was been forced to pay $2,300 restitution, and had to serve 30 days of community service stemming from a September arrest. In December Koppenhaver pleaded guilty to felony assault for choking and punching a man outside his San Diego training center, but the judge decided to reduce the charge to a misdemeanor -- partially at the urging of the case's victim, who said he didn't want to ruin Koppenhaver's UFC career.

With a fresh start, he'll now take on Yoshida, who signed with the UFC back in January.

Yoshida has competed primarily for Cage Force and Shooto, and now owns an eight-fight win streak (with six of the victories coming by way of knockout). The ground-and-pound fighter was the first-ever welterweight tournament winner for the Japanese-based Cage Force organization.

In addition to Koppenhaver vs. Yoshida, UFC.com today confirmed our previously reported UFC 84 fight between Jason Tan and Dong Hyun Kim.

UFC Confirms Additional Bouts for UFC 84

by MMAjunkie.com Staff on Mar 16, 2008 at 10:28 am

Although UFC 84's main event features a lightweight title fight, the undercard of the event will be all about the light heavyweights.

The UFC today confirmed three bouts we previously reported here at MMAjunkie.com, including Rameau Thierry Sokoudjou (4-2 MMA, 0-1 UFC) vs. Kazuhiro Nakamura (11-7 MMA, 0-1 UFC), Thiago Silva (12-0 MMA, 3-0 UFC) vs. Antonio Mendes (14-2 MMA, 0-0 UFC), and Goran Reljic (7-0 MMA, 0-0 UFC) vs. Wilson Gouveia (10-4 MMA, 4-1 UFC).

The bouts were reported on UFC.com.

UFC 84 takes place May 24 at the MGM Grand Garden Arena in Las Vegas. UFC lightweight champ B.J. Penn meets Sean Sherk in the main event.

Additionally, while still unannounced by the UFC, a heavyweight bout between Shane Carwin (8-0 MMA, 0-0 UFC) vs. Christian Wellisch (8-3 MMA, 2-1 UFC) will also take place at the event.

Carwin, a three-time NCAA Division II All-American and national champ in wrestling and two-time All-American in football, signed with the UFC in January. The highly touted prospect has already competed for organizations such as the Art of War and the WEC, and all eight of his victories have come via first-round stoppage. The average time of each fight? Just 72 seconds.

He'll make his UFC debut against Wellisch, who will go for his third straight victory in the UFC. After a loss to Cheick Kongo in his octagon debut, Welisch has posted victories over Anthony Perosh and Scott Junk.

The latest UFC 84 fight card now includes:

MAIN CARD

• Champ B.J. Penn vs. Sean Sherk (for lightweight title)
• Keith Jardine vs. Wanderlei Silva
• Lyoto Machida vs. Tito Ortiz
• Wilson Gouveia vs. Goran Reljic
• Thiago Silva vs. Antonio Mendes

PRELIMINARY CARD

• Kazuhiro Nakamura vs. Rameau Thierry Sokoudjou
• Terry Etim vs. Jeremy Stephens*
• Shane Carwin vs. Christian Wellisch*
• Rousimar Palhares vs. Ivan Salaverry*
• Dong-Hyun Kim vs. Jason Tan*

Report: Thiago Silva vs. Antonio Mendes at UFC 84

by MMAjunkie.com Staff on Mar 11, 2008 at 8:55 am

With Rashad Evans now slated to fight Chuck Liddell in UFC 85's main event, his original opponent, Thiago Silva (12-0 MMA, 3-0 UFC), will instead take on UFC newcomer Antonio Mendes (14-2 MMA, 0-0 UFC) at UFC 84.

The report comes from Sherdog.com. However, the UFC has yet to announce the bout.

UFC 84 takes place May 24 at the MGM Grand Garden Arena in Las Vegas. UFC lightweight champion B.J. Penn meets former champ Sean Sherk in the night's main event.

The rumored Evans-Silva bout would have been one of UFC 84's biggest fights, but after Mauricio "Shogun" Rua reaggravated a knee injury that required surgery, Evans was slated to fight Liddell instead. It'll be a second consecutive main-event fight for Evans.

In his place steps Mendes. The 26-year-old Brazilian owns an 11-fight win streak and went 9-0 in 2007. However, the European Top Team member hasn't fought since a July 2007 TKO victory in the M-1 organization.

Silva, undefeated since turning pro in September 2005, joined the UFC last year. The Brazilian has posted TKO victories over James Irvin (UFC 71), Tomasz Drwal (UFC 75) and Houston Alexander (UFC 78).

Sokoudjou Confirms UFC 84 Fight with Nakamura

by Dann Stupp [mmajunkie] on Mar 03, 2008 at 9:55 am

Team Quest fighter Rameau Thierry Sokoudjou (4-2 MMA, 0-1 UFC) will fight Kazuhiro Nakamura (11-7 MMA, 0-1 UFC) at UFC 84, an event that takes place May 24 at the MGM Grand Garden Arena in Las Vegas.

Sokoudjou confirmed the bout with MMAjunkie.com (www.mmajunkie.com) over the weekend while he was in Columbus to support teammate Dan Henderson at UFC 82. The rumored fight had first been reported by MMAWeekly.com.

After posting two high-profile upsets in PRIDE Fighting Championships, Sokoudjou signed a deal with the UFC and made his octagon debut at UFC 79. However, he suffered a second-round submission loss (via triangle choke) to Lyoto Machida. (It was Machida's first submission victory in nearly four years.)

Prior to his arrival in the UFC, Sokoudjou, a 2001 U.S. Open Judo champion, defeated the heavily favored Antonio Rogerio Nogueira at PRIDE 33. The 23-second knockout was followed up with a two-minute KO of Ricardo Arona at PRIDE 34, and the 23-year-old fighter earned a top-1o spot in many light heavyweight rankings.

Nakamura, meanwhile, will look to rebound from his own loss to Machida. Making his UFC debut after a career spent entirely with PRIDE, the Japanese fighter suffered a unanimous-decision loss to Machida at September's UFC 76 event.

Nakamura will fight for the first time since failing a subsequent drug test due to marijuana. The California State Athletic Commission issued a 90-day suspension and $500 fine.

UFC 84 features a main event between UFC lightweight champ B.J. Penn and former champ Sean Sherk, Additionally, the UFC recently confirmed a few other notable bouts, including Machida vs. Tito Ortiz and Wanderlei Silva vs. Keith Jardine.

Wanderlei Silva Confirms UFC 84 Fight with Keith Jardine

by Dann Stupp on Feb 23, 2008 at 2:47 pm

Wanderlei Silva (31-8-1 MMA, 1-3 UFC) is on his way to sign a bout agreement to fight Keith Jardine (13-3-1 MMA, 5-2 UFC) at UFC 84, the fighter reports on his official blog.

UFC 84 takes place May 24 at the MGM Grand Garden Arena in Las Vegas. UFC lightweight champion B.J. Penn meets former champ Sean Sherk in the night's main event.

Although the bout has been rumored for a variety of dates for much of the month, MMAjunkie.com (www.mmajunkie.com) reported last week that the fight would likely take place at the May event. A representative from Jardine's camp today told MMAjunkie.com that they haven't yet received confirmation of the bout. However, as we previously reported, they're expected to accept it.

Jardine, who entered the UFC by way of "The Ultimate Fighter 2," posted a 4-2 record before a September 2007 split-decision victory over Chuck Liddell at UFC 76. The victory all but erased a previous first-round knockout loss to Houston Alexander at UFC 71 and thrust the 32-year-old back into title contention.

Silva, meanwhile, hasn't fought since a December 2007 unanimous-decision loss to Liddell. It was his third-consecutive loss, though the previous defeats came to stand-outs Mirko "Cro Cop" Filipovic and Dan Henderson in PRIDE.

Earlier this week, the Xtreme Couture blog reported that Silva had returned to the Las Vegas training center to focus on wrestling with Randy Couture.

Goran Reljic Debuts at UFC 84 vs. Wilson Gouveia

by Dann Stupp on Feb 06, 2008 at 3:49 pm

After recently signing a multi-fight deal with the organization, Croatian light heavyweight Goran Reljic (7-0 MMA, 0-0 UFC) will make his UFC debut vs. Wilson Gouveia (10-4 MMA, 4-1 UFC) at UFC 84 -- an event that takes place May 24 at the MGM Grand Garden Arena in Las Vegas.

Reljic's manager, Zoran Saric, made the announcement on his agency's website, and MMAjunkie.com (www.mmajunkie.com) has since confirmed the fight with a representative from Gouveia's camp.

Reljic, a Brazilian jiu-jitsu ace, will look to continue his undefeated streak, which has included five victories via submission.

The 23-year-old, who is associated with the Gracie Berra UK team, splits time training in his native Croatia and with Roger Gracie in England. He recently won the 2007 European Gracie Championship in the 93-kg (205-lb.) weight class.

His opponent, Gouveia, most recently competed at UFC 80, where he scored a stunning, come-from-behind, one-punch knockout of Jason Lambert.

With the victory, the American Top Team Team fighter has posted four consecutive victories -- all in the UFC. Prior to his second round KO of Lambert, he scored a first-round submission of Wes Combs, a second-round submission of Seth Petruzelli, and a first-round submission of Carmello Marrero.

UFC 84 is expected to be headlined by a title fight between recently crowned UFC lightweight champ B.J. Penn and former champ Sean Sherk, who was recently stripped of the title due to a failed July 2007 drug test.

Rousimar Palhares to Make UFC Debut in May vs. Ivan Salaverry

by Dann Stupp on Jan 29, 2008 at 4:30 pm

Brazilian fighter Rousimar Palhares (7-1 MMA, 0-0 UFC) will make his UFC debut vs. Ivan Salaverry (12-5 MMA, 3-3 UFC) at a May 24 event in Las Vegas.

MMAjunkie.com today confirmed the fight with Salaverry's camp, which received the fight offer just this afternoon. However, the fight was first reported by Sherdog.com, which mentioned the fighter's likely signing last week.

Palhares, a Brazilian fighter, is a highly touted middleweight who trains with the Brazilian Top Team. He's recently been fighting for the Brazilian-based Fury Fighting Championship, where he won the organization's 185-lb. Grand Prix tournament.

Palhares is currently riding a five-fight win streak, which includes victories over the likes of UFC veteran Flavio Luiz Moura (16-7), PRIDE vet Daniel Acacio (13-6) and Fabio Negao (8-3). The 27-year-old is a noted Brazilian Jiu-Jitsu practitioner. Of his seven victories, four have come via submission.

His first test in the UFC will be Salaverry, a longtime MMA veteran who's had a few different stins in the UFC. He debuted with the organization in 2002 and his since posted a 3-3 record in the UFC. After scoring an upset of Joe Riggs at UFC 52, he's suffered back-to-back losses to Nate Marquardt and Terry Martin.

Salaverry hasn't fought since the loss to Martin. During the May 2007 bout, he was suplexed and finished off with a barrage of punches. Salaverry injured his shoulder during the fight and was sidelined for a couple months.

Ther Palhares-Salaverry fight will take place at UFC 84, which takes place May 24 at the MGM Grand Garden Arena in Las Vegas.

Tito Ortiz Confirms UFC 84 Fight with Lyoto Machida -- And Pending UFC Departure

by Dann Stupp on Jan 22, 2008 at 12:26 am

UFC light heavyweight Tito Ortiz today confirmed that he has reluctantly accepted a May 24 fight with Lyoto Machida -- while also saying it'll likely be his final fight in the UFC.

The highly publicized interview took place this afternoon on Fight Network Radio.

Ortiz said he accepted the UFC 84 fight with Machida, but that he was "expecting a bigger fight," such as a rematch with Rashad Evans. Ortiz and Evans fought to a disappointing draw back at UFC 71. If it weren't for a costly one-point deduction issued to Ortiz for repeatedly grabbing the fence to avoid takedowns, Ortiz would have earned the unanimous-decision victory.

With the rematch apparently not on the table, Ortiz said he accepted the Machida fight and that he's "just looking to get my final fight over with the UFC."

Ortiz has one fight left on his current deal, and he's been working toward a new one for more than six months. However, even bypassing UFC President Dana White and working directly with UFC co-owner Fertitta brought no resolution.

"They said I wasn't worth the money, I was worth no more than what I'm getting paid now, and I'm not a commodity to them anymore -- I'm not as viable to them anymore," Ortiz said. "That was a sign of disrespect."

Ortiz earned $210,000 for both his UFC 73 and UFC 66 fights.

Ortiz also reasoned he should leave the UFC because, with White running the show, he'll never get a title shot again.

Without an extension in sight, Ortiz will likely hit the free-agent market -- where suitors such as M-1 Global, HDNet Fights, EliteXC and Strikeforce will likely be waiting.

"UFC is caring so much about the brand itself," Ortiz said. "They could care less about the fighters. Fighters are a dime a dozen. They'll keep coming. Dana is really out for himself and the company. He doesnâ??t give a sh** about the fighters."

B.J. Penn not Taking New Role Lightly (Story from Yahoo! Sports)

by Kevin Iole/Yahoo! Sports on Jan 20, 2008 at 1:47 pm (Reprinted from Yahoo! Sports with permission)

NEWCASTLE UPON TYNE, ENGLAND - B.J. Penn said he used to try to see how little he could prepare and yet still win a mixed martial arts fight.

Most times, he could wake up in the morning after a long evening carousing the many night spots in his native Hawaii and whip 99 percent of the men who were put in front of him.

"I was just a young punk," Penn said. "I thought I was bad. I thought I was tough."

But on Saturday night before yet another sellout crowd in a rickety old arena about 10,000 miles from his island home, Penn was bad and he was tough.

He won the vacant UFC lightweight title with a dominant victory over Joe Stevenson, hurting the Las Vegan with the first punch of the bout and continuing his assault until Stevenson submitted to a rear naked choke at 4:02 of the second round of UFC 80 at Metro Radio Arena.

On Saturday, Penn was what experts had been saying for years he could be. He was powerful, he was clever, he was conditioned, he was agile and he was a finisher.

It was such a dominant win over such a quality opponent that it sparked the debate that UFC president Dana White wanted to hear least: Whether he'd stay at lightweight.

Penn won the UFC's welterweight title in 2004 when he submitted Matt Hughes and began to speak openly of winning belts in every weight class.

On Saturday, he became only the second fighter in UFC history, joining Randy Couture, who held the heavyweight and light heavyweight titles, to win belts in two weight classes.

His performance was so dominant Saturday that he may finally be, as his potential has long suggested, the finest fighter in the world.

Former Pride heavyweight champion Fedor Emelianenko has long carried that distinction. UFC middleweight champion Anderson Silva usurped that spot from him in the most recent Yahoo! Sports poll and UFC welterweight champion Georges St. Pierre's one-sided victory over Hughes last month in Las Vegas was evidence that he belongs in the conversation, as well.

But there were few who witnessed the devastation that Penn inflicted upon a superb opponent on Saturday who were willing to doubt the Hawaiian's legitimacy to the top spot.

"Without a doubt, in my opinion B.J. Penn is by far pound-for-pound the greatest fighter in MMA," said Marcus Davis, a welterweight who won his 11th consecutive bout Saturday with a first-round stoppage of Jess Liaudin. "All these people who are screaming about Fedor, it's an absolute joke. Who has the guy ever beaten in the top 10. You can't say (Antonio Rodrigo) Nogueira and those guys, because they're coming over here and they're getting tested here by our heavyweights. I think Tim Sylvia will beat Nog.

"In my opinion, Anderson Silva is right there, but B.J. Penn is by far pound-for-pound the best fighter in the world. He has all the tools you could want."

White proudly called Stevenson "a freak" in the days before the fight, referencing his strength and his wrestling ability.

But just five seconds after the opening bell, Stevenson was in a dire situation. Penn ripped Stevenson with a right uppercut that sent him tumbling to the mat, with Penn in pursuit of the finish.

"I thought I'd ice him right there," said Penn, who attended the postfight news conference with the belt wrapped around his waist, where it figures to stay as long as he maintains the intensity and the determination he showed on Saturday and during his lengthy training camp in his native Hilo, Hawaii.

He ran into an obstacle, though, he didn't expect.

Stevenson's highly regarded jiu-jitsu coach, Marc Laimon, came up in the sport with Penn and knows his moves as well as anyone. And while Penn, who is as flexible as Gumby and contorts his body into positions that don't seem possible for an adult male, was working for the finish, Laimon was in the corner advising Stevenson how to counter. "He kept telling Joe what I was going to do," a beaming Penn said before adding dryly, "What a punk."

Penn will defend the title in May in Las Vegas against former champion Sean Sherk, who lost the belt when the California State Athletic Commission found he had used steroids following a July win over Hermes Franca.

In the weeks before the bout, Penn was outspoken against Sherk, who was working on the pay-per-view broadcast an analyst, because of the positive steroids test and the commission's findings.

Penn has always spoken his mind and never minced words, taking on anybody with the fearlessness with which he fights. But after the fight, he softened his anti-Sherk rhetoric, if only a touch.

"When it comes to Sean Sherk, he's not a bad person and this is nothing personal," Penn said. "But with everything going on in sports and in my life and all my dreams, I was disappointed when that went down and how things came out.

" I'm not going to say Sean Sherk (stinks). He's a good fighter, a champion. I'm just disappointed how that went down. I'm sure he'll be back and stronger than ever."

As good as Sherk is, though, he'll have his hands full with Penn if Penn is anywhere near as good as he was against Stevenson. And Penn figures to be plenty motivated, because White won't give him the fight he truly longs for, against St. Pierre at 170, unless he runs through the contenders at 155.

Penn lost to St. Pierre on March 4, 2006, in a bout that has typified what has frustrated those who expected Penn to blossom into a superstar. The smaller man, Penn, dominated the first round against St. Pierre before his conditioning failed him.

St. Pierre battled back to win a split decision, but though Penn was gassed by the final bell, he still made it such a close bout that the verdict for St. Pierre remains a hotly disputed one.

"The thing with B.J. is, he's one of those guys who is incredibly gifted in every way," White said. "But he hasn't always had the focus. This sport, there have been so many changes from when we bought it (in 2001) until now and it's easy to fall into that whole rock star thing. Everyone thinks they're a rock star, but you have to keep your eye on the prize."

Penn wants a chance to avenge that loss to St. Pierre so badly that he's ready to accept White's dictum to clean out the lightweights.

And though he was thinking of St. Pierre â?? the ear-to-ear grin gave him away â?? he gave the answer his boss wanted to hear when asked if he had his choice whether he'd prefer to fight St. Pierre or Sherk.

"I better say Sherk," Penn said. "I'm a lightweight now and that's all I thinking about."

After a pause, his grin widened and he turned and looked up at White, who was standing at a podium next to him.

"I'm a lightweight," he repeated, "for now."

Sean Sherk Possibly Returns in April at UFC 84?

by Dann Stupp on Jan 10, 2008 at 1:51 pm

Sean Sherk, a former UFC lightweight champion who was stripped of the title after his his suspension from a failed UFC 73 drug test was upheld by the California State Athletic Commission, says he will next fight in April -- possibly at an April 19 UFC 84 event in Montreal.

In an interview with sportsnet.ca, Sherk said UFC officials recently told him he'd fight in April and that he hopes it'll be at the Montreal event.

Sherk hasn't fought since July 7, when he posted a unanimous-decision over Hermes Franca in his first title defense. However, the 34-year-old tested positive for elevated testosterone levels and the anabolic steroid Nandrolone, more commonly known as Decadurabolin, during the Sacramento, Calif. event. Sherk appealed, but after a series of delays, the commission ultimately cut his one-year suspension to six months but upheld the $2,500 fine. (He's eligible to fight again on Jan. 3.)

Soon after the news that Sherk would serve a suspension, UFC President Dana White confirmed that the organization had stripped the fighter of the title.

Sherk maintains that he's innocent and said that Quest Laboratories may have botched the testing of his urine sample by allowing "carryover" in their testing machines. He also cites bloodwork and a lie-detector test that signified his innocence.

However, even though the commissioners opted to cut Sherk's suspension in half, they didn't budge from their stance that he tested positive for the steroid.

In today's interview, Sherk also states that the UFC will likely give him an immediate title shot, meaning he could face the winner of Joe Stevenson vs. B.J. Penn -- who fight next week at UFC 80 for the vacant UFC lightweight title.